Introduction: Even after my parents bought
their first television set I spent my formative years glued to the radio
because I was raised listening to the radio not watching the TV.
Often times in the evening the family would gather around the cathode-ray
tube in the living room, and I would be in the kitchen listening to one
of the programs to which I was addicted -- The Shadow, The Green Hornet,
Suspense, etc. I do not recall ever listening to a Tarzan radio program.
Perhaps they were off the air by that time.

This comparative study stems not from any great interest in the
radio serial “The Fires of Tohr,” but from the Dell comic project, which
I have been working on for quite some time. My goal for the project
originally did not include the two Dell “one-shot” titles, “Tarzan and
the Devil Ogre” and “Tarzan and the Fires of Tohr.” However, because
the comic was based on the radio play, it seems to me that a comparison
of the radio show with the comic book would be a natural expansion of the
project. It is not as if the project needs more work added to it.
I suspect another five years will be needed as it is.

The Radio: The radio drama was reportedly written
by Edgar Rice Burroughs and produced under his personal direction.
Each episode has the cliff hanger suspense similar to his best pulp fiction.
The story could easily be added to the Tarzan canon. With 39 episodes
and nine hours of airtime a lot of action was to be broadcast. The
program was never aired. The only flaw in the story line is that
Toldo, Queen Ahtea’s lion, is killed twice by Tarzan: once in the arena
and a second time near the elephant paddock.

With a 1939 copyright, it is dated in its attitude towards women and
non-white races. The expedition is overly protective of Jeanette
Burton and has many references stating that the jungle is no place for
a woman. Several party members comment on a menial task that they
claim is ‘work not fit for white people.’ Dr. Wong is referred to
by the derogatory term chink. It is also mildly surprising that ‘bastards’
and ‘blithering ass’ would make it past the censors. Many of the
characters appear to be stereotypical in their characterizations or in
their voice characterizations. Dr. Wong Tai is very much like Charlie
Chan in his speech and actions. Ukah, the Rhatohrian prince, is spoken
with what could be described as a stereotypical American Indian.
Kai-luk, the prisoner in the jewel mines uses a curious Scottish accent.

For the most part the sound effects were adequate. The crocodile
and elephant sounds often times were poor. But the most disturbing
thing about the episodes is Tarzan’s victory cry of the bull ape.
It is truly awful. It is a loud, “KRAM N GET EEEEEE!” It sounds like
Tarzan is a hillbilly calling people to an evening meal or maybe he is
just calling pigs. But all and all this is secondary to a tremendous
Tarzan story.

The Comic: With only thirty pages devoted to a complicated
and intricate story, the majority of the story was eliminated. If
a person were unaware of the radio play, the story probably would seem
quite good with a lost city, an evil queen, and a chance for Tarzan to
display his powers. It does retain the essence of the radio drama
but it is pale in comparison.

To get a good look at the differences between the comic and the radio
program a close examination of the actions of the characters is most revealing.
The following is a synopsis of each character’s actions. Names that
are common to both the radio show and the comic presented no problem.
The spelling used in the comic is the spelling used for this article.
Characters who only appeared on the radio show presented a problem in their
spelling. The problem stems from having no written script available
to me and the pronunciation of names varied from character to character
as well as the narrator‘s pronunciation. Therefore, a decision was
made to use Kai-luk that could easily be Kaluk or Kailuk. There was
also the question of the spelling for Ukah’s city. Is it Rhatohrian,
Ratohrian, or Attarian, as in the comic? Other names
in question are Black Maluk, Vandor, Rutan, Tamor, Poltar, Kalu, Mantar,
and the Shohn Rhatohr.

The Characters:

Tarzan - The jungle lord traveling with
his friend, Lt. Paul d’Arnot, detects smoke and white people. He
carries d’Arnot through the trees to find Terry O’Rourke threatened by
a lion and a leopard. He kills the lion with his knife and gives
the victory cry of the bull ape. Tarzan and d’Arnot agree to lead
the remainder of the Burton-Ashleigh expedition to a village. A claw-footed
yellow man attacks the party, and Tarzan kills it with his knife.
He gives the victory cry of the bull ape. He carries the body out
into the jungle for dango, the hyena. He carries Jeanette up into
the trees where he has made a platform for the party to be safe from the
yellow men. He also carries Jeanette down from the trees as they
attempt to make their escape from the yellow creatures. When they
try to steal a dugout canoe from a different group of yellow people, Tarzan
kills one of them with his knife. The party is captured. Later,
Tarzan and d’Arnot manage to escape. When the yellow men throw Terry
to the crocodiles, Tarzan swings out over the river and grabs Terry with
his legs thus snatching him from the mouth of a crocodile. Later
he drops from the trees into the water and joins the others in the canoe.
Through a mountain on the river they approach a waterfall. Tarzan leaps
into some overhanging trees, drops into the water, swims ashore, runs to
the a tree overlooking the falls, throws the party his rope, and pulls
them to shore. Discovered by Mungo, a non-claw-footed yellow man,
they are brought to the city of Tohr. As they are brought to Queen
Ahtea, Tarzan comments on how the wall murals resemble the Temple of Azur.
Tarzan assures the Queen that Jeanette is not his mate. Ahtea wishes
Tarzan to remain in Tohr as her mate. Tarzan refuses. Tongo,
a claw-footed chief, claims the right of revenge on Tarzan for killing
some of his people. Tarzan kills him with his knife. Ahtea
forces Tarzan and the others to watch as she demonstrates her ruthlessness
by having a convicted spy sacrificed on the statue of Pantu. Ahtea
attempts to seduce Tarzan with her beauty, wealth, and power. Tarzan
remains steadfast to his friends. When Ahtea pushes Jeanette into
the arena with Toldo, the guardian lion of the treasures of Tohr, Tarzan
leaps into the arena, kills it with his knife, and gives the victory cry
of the bull ape. Ahtea would let the others go if Tarzan will stay
with her willingly. Tarzan insists that he must lead his friends
to safety but promises he will return to Tohr. While being led to
their prison cells Tarzan conspires with Ukah, a Rhatohrian prisoner.
Tarzan knocks Mungo off the wall, thus creating a diversion that permits
Ukah and d’Arnot to escape. When it appears as if Dr. Wong has turned
on the party and shoots Terry, Tarzan threatens him. In their cave
cell Tarzan discovers a ledge near the ceiling, which contains a passageway.
He carries each one of the party members individually up to the ledge.
Through a maze of corridors they come across a black panther tied to a
wall. Sheeta appears to be protecting a passageway. Tarzan
holds the leopard at bay so the others can make it into the new corridor.
Tarzan carries Jeanette across the natural bridge that extends over the
fires of Tohr. They are recaptured in the armory. Tarzan claims
the Tohrian rite of revenge on Mungo for killing Major Ashleigh.
Ahtea will pit Tarzan against Mungo in the games during the Feast of Pantu.
In the meantime he is to serve in the elephant paddock. Tarzan is given
the task to train Black Maluk, an uncontrollable elephant. He does
this easily with calm soothing tones. He sends Ukah and d’Arnot on
a second escape attempt on the back of Black Maluk. Because of the
escape he is sentenced to dig in the jewel pit mines. In the mines
Tarzan incites rebellion amongst the slaves. Ahtea visits the jewel
pits. Her elephant goes berserk and rushes towards a pit. Tarzan
stops the elephant with calm words. For saving her life, Queen Ahtea
will give him anything except allowing him to leave Tohr. When Rutan,
master of the elephant slaves, attacks O’Rourke in the jewel pits, Tarzan
chokes him unconscious. He manages to get Ahtea to stop the whipping
of Kai-luk, a Rhatohrian prisoner, with his promise to tell her who instigated
the slave revolt. Tied to the public whipping pole he calls to Black
Maluk who aids the prisoners in their escape. Hunting lions are released
into the streets. Tarzan saves Kai-luk by killing a lion with his
knife. He gives the victory cry of the bull ape. Discovered
in the elephant paddock by Mungo and the yellow men, Tarzan snaps Mungo’s
neck and gives the victory cry of the bull ape. While Terry unlocks
the chains of the jewel pit slaves, Tarzan holds back the guards by mowing
them down with a length of chain. During the attack on the palace
they realize that the Rhatohrians are attacking the city. Tarzan
uses Black Maluk to open the city gates. Once inside the palace,
Tarzan deduces that Jeanette is in the Chamber of Sacrifices. With
a sword he cleaves a path through the guards at the chamber door.
Mantar, a priest, is about to pull the lever, which opens the trap door
over the fires of Tohr. Tarzan throws his sword through the priest.
A second priest makes for the lever. Tarzan throws O’Rourke’s sword
through the priest. After the death of Ahtea, Tarzan declares that
the treasure of Tohr should remain where it is. He and d’Arnot continue
on their original mission of investigating slave and illegally ivory trading.

In the comic Tarzan traveling with his friend Paul d’Arnot discovers
Major James Barton and his niece Ruth who are lost. He agrees to
take them to the nearest village. The next day they find a canoe.
Tarzan sends them to the canoe as he holds off the approaching natives.
He throws a spear at them and leaps into the trees. Later he swims
out to the canoe. After going through a mountain on the river, they
make camp. Tarzan finds a man-made trail down around the waterfall.
Mungo finds them and brings them to Tohr. They observe a natural rock formation
in the middle of the city of Tohr and fantastic murals along the walls
of the buildings. Queen Ahtea questions them. She forces them
to watch a rebel being sacrificed on the statue of Pantu. Ahtea wants Tarzan
to stay as her mate. Tarzan refuses. She wants Tarzan
to remain willingly. Tarzan remains steadfast to his friends and
says he must lead them to safety. At the arena a jealous Ahtea throws
Ruth in the pit with Toldo, the lion guardian of the treasures of Tohr.
Tarzan leaps into the arena and kills Toldo with his bare hands.
Tarzan again refuses Ahtea’s advances. They are lead to a cell.
Tarzan leaps to a ledge that was found by Ukah. Tarzan pulls them
up to the ledge. Through the maze of tunnels they come upon a black
panther chained to a wall. Tarzan holds sheeta at bay while the others
make it into the passageway that sheeta was guarding. Tarzan carries
Ruth across the natural bridge over the fires of Tohr. They come
out in an armory where the yellow men recapture them. Once again
Ahtea makes her demands, and once again Tarzan remains steadfast to his
friends. Ahtea attempts to throw Ruth into the fires of Tohr.
Ukah pushes Ruth out of the way and tries to carry himself and his Queen
into the fire. Tarzan grabs Ukah but Ahtea falls into the fire.
Tarzan closes the trap door to the fires of Tohr. Tarzan says he
may return someday.

The Tarzan of the radio program kills easily and often: three
lions with a knife, three yellow men with a knife, Mungo with his bare
hands, two priests with thrown swords, unknown amounts with a sword, and
unknown amounts with a chain. The Tarzan of the comics is a wimp
by comparison with only one lion killed with his bare hands. The
radio Tarzan carries people to the top of trees and to the impossible to
reach ledge. The comic Tarzan needs help to pull people up to the
ledge. The radio Tarzan is capable of amazing feats: the dazzling
rescue of O’Rourke, the superhuman strength of pulling the canoe from the
raging river, and the fantastic holding of a struggling black panther at
bay. The comic Tarzan only gets the panther action. Both Tarzans
display the honor of friendship. The comic has no elephants so that
Tarzan does not get to display his mastery over elephants.

Paul d’Arnot - a French naval officer
and friend of Tarzan. While on their way to investigate possible
slave and illegal ivory trading, d’Arnot and the ape-man discover the remainder
of the Burton-Ashleigh expedition. Paul shoots a leopard that is
attacking Terry O’Rourke. The Lieutenant explains Tarzan’s background
and lineage to the party. After their capture by the claw-footed
yellow men, he and Tarzan manage to escape. When Tarzan distracts
their captors, d’Arnot frees the other captives. Later, they are
lead to Tohr by Mungo, a non-claw-footed yellow man. He suspects
that the second set of yellow men is of a higher genetic material.
While being ushered to a cell in Tohr, he picks up on Tarzan’s signal to
be prepared. During the melee started by Tarzan, he and Ukah escape.
As d’Arnot lowers himself down the wall, an elephant patrol approaches.
He loses his grip and falls to the ground unconscious. The recaptured
pair is to be cast into the fires Tohr. Tarzan and O’Rourke rescue
them only to be recaptured again in the armory. Assigned to the elephant
paddock Tarzan arranges for he and Ukah to escape on Black Maluk.
Once in the jungle Ukah saves d’Arnot from a charging lion. They
steal an elephant from the Tohrian jungle patrol and make their way to
Ukah’s home city. He tells the Rhatohrians that Tarzan will have
the gate open for them when they attack Tohr. He overhears Tamor
and Poltar plotting to betray them to Queen Ahtea. The two traitors capture
him. They do not tie him very well and he manages to get loose when
Tamor returns. D’Arnot seriously wounds Tamor in a sword fight and
leaves to warn the Rhatohrians of the traitor’s plot. He gives the
Shohn advice on how to attack the city of Tohr. He enters the city
with the warriors and the Chamber of Sacrifice with Tarzan. After
the death of Ahtea, he and Tarzan continue on with their original mission.

In the comic d’Arnot accompanies Tarzan as they find Major Barton
and his niece Ruth. Paul has never heard of Tohr. He and Tarzan
will guide the pair to a village. He hustles them into a canoe as
Tarzan holds off a group of natives. On shore d’Arnot smokes a pipe.
In Tohr he suspects Ahtea will try to eliminate them one by one.
The comic d’Arnot is basically a non-entity. He really
has nothing to do, and except for the canoe incident, he could have
been left out of the story. The radio d’Arnot has a lot to do but
for the most part is overshadowed by whomever he is with at the time.
He starts off well with helping the party escape from the yellow men.
Later during another escape attempt, he falls off the wall, which results
in his recapture. Plus, Ukah must save him from a lion and he struggles
with his simple task of unlocking the lead elephant. He manages to
get himself captured by the Rhatohrian traitors. However, he does
redeem himself by besting Tamor in a sword fight.

Major Burton-Ashleigh - leader of the
Burton-Ashleigh expedition in search of the lost city of Tohr. His
safari members desert when they approach a taboo area. Lost and without
their maps, he and the remainder of his party are befriended by Tarzan
and d’Arnot who plan to take them to the nearest village for help.
While attempting to escape from savage claw-footed yellow men, Major Ashleigh
speaks of a second expedition to search for Tohr. Called Uncle Jim
by his American ward, Jeanette, Ashleigh suspects that the claw-footed
people are descendants of cavemen. He is surprised to learn that
his captor, Mungo, has brought them to Tohr. During the battle in
the armory room Mungo fatally wounds him. Before he dies Dr. Wong
speaks with him privately, creating the impression that Dr. Wong may not
be the traitor he appears to be. Ahtea gives the slain Major ceremonial
burial rites.

In the comic he is Major James Barton from New York, a leader
of an expedition in search of the lost city of Tohr. His niece, Ruth,
who calls him Uncle Jim, accompanies him. He expected to find ruins,
but the taboos of the area cause his safari to desert. They have
lost their supplies in the Kilindini River when Tarzan and d’Arnot find
them. Captured by yellow men and brought before Queen Ahtea, he is
surprised to learn that he is in the city of Tohr. He explains that
the fires of Tohr leap into the Hall of Pantu because of the draft caused
by opening the stone block in the floor.

For the most part Major Ashleigh-Burton/Major James Barton character
is a minor figure with little to do in either venue.

Jeanette Burton - the Major’s American
ward. She is the first one to spot the yellow face staring at the
party. Tarzan leaving the body of the yellow man for dango, the hyena,
repulses her. When there is talk of a second expedition to find Tohr,
she does not want to participate. She shoots a rifle at the crocodiles
as they swim towards Terry O‘Rourke. She faints after Tarzan rescues
the party from the waterfalls. Queen Ahtea is very jealous of her
and pushes her into the arena with Toldo, the guardian lion. Ukah,
a Rhatohrian captive, catches her. Tarzan kills Toldo. After
Dr. Wong grazes Terry in the head with a bullet, she confesses to the Irishman
that she loves him. Her capture in the armory room results in the
surrender of Tarzan and the others. They feel very protective over
her. She weeps as her Uncle Jim, Major Burton-Ashleigh, dies from
a spear wound. She endures continual verbal abuse from Queen Ahtea
and is made the prize for the winner of the fight between Tarzan and Mungo.
Dr. Wong pressures her into stealing the key to Ahtea’s treasure cave.
She finally manages to convince Ahtea that she is in love with O’Rourke
and not Tarzan. As she is about to be searched for the missing key,
she slips it to Wong. Ahtea has her taken to the Chamber of Serpents.
Dr. Wong saves her from a huge cobra. Wong takes her to the treasure
cave, but she wants none of the gold or jewels. When caught in the
cave, she tells Ahtea that she stole the key. Ahtea brings her to
the Chamber of Sacrifices where she plans to throw her into the fires of
Tohr. Wong rescues her. She and Terry are to be taken
back to civilization.

In the comic she is known as Ruth Barton or Miss Ruth, the niece
of Major James Barton. She accompanies her Uncle Jim on an expedition
to find the lost city of Tohr. Tarzan and d’Arnot discover the girl
and her uncle who have been abandoned by their safari. They end up
in Tohr. Queen Ahtea is infatuated with Tarzan and is jealous of
Ruth. She throws Ruth into an arena containing Toldo, the lion guardian
of the treasures of Tohr. Ukah, Attarian rebel, catches her.
Tarzan rescues both of them as he kills Toldo with his bare hands.
After their escape from the dungeons they are recaptured. Ahtea attempts
to throw Ruth into the fires of Tohr, but she is saved by Ukah.

Why they changed her name from Jeanette to Ruth is baffling. She
is a little stronger character in the radio play as she gets to shoot at
crocodiles and shows strength of character when facing Ahtea. In
the comic she is the same object of Ahtea’s jealousy only instead of pushing
her into the arena, Ahtea physically throws her to the lion. Her
final rescue from the fires of Tohr is by different characters, but the
resulting death of Ahtea is the same.

Terence O’Rourke - a happy-go-lucky
adventurer and a member of the Burton-Ashleigh expedition. An Irishmen
with a thick accent, often referred to as Terry, has some jungle experience
and is always looking for action. However, the action often times
puts him in a situation where he must be rescued. Right from the
start a leopard and a lion simultaneously attack him. He manages
to wound the leopard, but they both fall from the tree into the path of
a charging lion. Paul d’Arnot shoots the leopard, and Tarzan kills
the lion. After the claw-footed yellow men capture the party, Terry
is thrown to the crocodiles because of Tarzan and d‘Arnot‘s escape.
A dramatic rescue has Tarzan swinging on a vine out over the river to snatch
Terry with his powerful legs from the jaws of croc. Terry is constantly
impressed by Tarzan’s feats of strength. He finds the trail around
the waterfall. As a different set of yellow men walk up the trail,
he wants to fire on them. He also wants them to fight their way out
as Mungo leads them to Queen Ahtea. When Dr. Wong appears to have
turned traitor, Terry threatens him. The only way Wong can stop him
is by a grazing bullet to the Irishman’s scalp. When he is revived,
he admits to Jeanette that he is in love with her. He is exuberant
when Jeanette reveals that the feeling is mutual. He discovers how
to open the gate, which bars the way to the natural bridge across the fires
of Tohr. After being recaptured and sentenced to dig in the jewel
pits of Tohr, Tarzan has to caution him to be patient. Mungo places
a gold collar around his neck signifying that he has been selected to fight
lions in the upcoming games during the Feast of Pantu. When Rutan,
the leader of the elephant slaves, is brought to the jewel pits, Terry
attempts to talk with him. Rutan attacks him, and Tarzan rescues
him. Suspected as instigators of a slave revolt Tarzan and Terry
are to be whipped to death. Terry is shocked when the apparent traitor,
Wong, cuts him loose and gives him his knife. He helps Tarzan free
the jewel pit slaves and opens the gates, which allows the Rhatohrians
to enter the city.

An interesting character who is not a part of the comic.

Dr. Wong Tai - a Chinese scientist
and member of the Burton-Ashleigh expedition. He is a Charlie Chan
type of character who constantly spouts oriental maxims. He is one
of the most interesting of the characters, as he never appears to be what
other people think he is. He asks the most provocative questions
about Tarzan’s background, speculates about the races they meet, and creates
tension between the expedition and the Tohrians. When the wily Chinese
gets a view of the gold and jewels of Tohr, he appears to switch his allegiance.
Ahtea seeks his council. Terry takes offense at Wong’s change of
loyalty and constantly threatens him. Wong, an expert with handguns,
is forced to graze O’Rourke with a bullet. He has the uncanny ability
to analyze people and situations. His actions make both the expedition
and Queen Ahtea questions his loyalties. Later it appears as if Wong
has gained Ahtea’s confidence only to help Tarzan and his friends.
But he also pushes Jeanette to get the key to Ahtea’s treasure vault, which
looks like he is merely satisfying his own greed. When the chips
are down, Wong does free O’Rourke from the whipping pole. This allows
Terry to free the others. Later he also saves Jeanette from a black
cobra. But his greed obsesses him. He and Jeanette are caught
in the jewel cave and sentenced to the fires of Tohr. His loyalty
to his companions comes forward when faced with death. He pushes
Jeanette away from Ahtea as she plunges the sacrificial knife downwards.
With the knife in his back, he grabs Ahtea and falls in the fiery pit.
In the end the entire party comments on his loyalty and friendship.
As Dr. Wong said, “you can’t escape your destiny.”

A great character who is not a part of the comics.

Ackmet - Arab slaver and ivory poacher.
Tarzan and d’Arnot are on their way to investigate Ackmet when they come
across the remainder of the Burton-Ashleigh party. After their
adventure in Tohr, Tarzan and d’Arnot state that they will look into Ackmet’s
activities.

The comic makes no mention of this character.

claw-footed yellow men - yellow
hairless skin people who wear loincloths. Their feet end in talon
like claws. They have small red eyes, low cranium, protruding jaw,
and thick lips. They carry twisted cudgels and copper bladed spears.
They capture Tarzan and the last of the Burton-Ashleigh expedition.
The party suspects that they may be cannibals and have the ability to call
crocodiles. They throw their dead to the crocodiles. They dance
around their victims and shake their spears at them. When Tarzan
and d’Arnot escape, they throw Terry to the crocodiles. They live
in caves over looking the river where it enters the mountainside.
Ashleigh believes they may be descendants of cave people. Wong suspects
they are the result of a grafting experiment.

(See: yellow men, Tohrians)

yellow men (Tohrians) - inhabitants
of the city of Tohr. They speak English as well as their own language.
Ahtea, a white queen, rules them. They worship Pantu, the god of
fire. They have a priesthood and warriors. They are somehow
related to the claw-footed yellow men.

In the comic they are the same except they are the claw yellow
men not claw-footed yellow men. However, they do not have the nasty
disposition of the radio claw-footed people.

Mungo - yellow man favorite of Queen
Ahtea. Reportedly the strongest man in Tohr. He speaks English.
He finds and brings Tarzan and his party to the Queen. He places
a prisoner, a convicted spy, on the grill in Pantu’s arms as a demonstration
of Ahtea’s power. He is instructed to force Tarzan to watch the victim
be consumed by the fires of Tohr. As he leads Tarzan and the other
captives to their cells, Tarzan knocks him off the wall so that d’Arnot
and Ukah can escape. When the yellow warriors have Tarzan and his
companions trapped in the armory, he spears Major Ashleigh, killing him.
When Tarzan demands the Tohrian rite of revenge, Mungo accepts the challenge.
Tarzan and Mungo are to fight to the death in the games during the Feast
of Pantu. He fails to stop the Queen’s elephant, which goes berserk
and charges towards a jewel pit. Later at the whipping pole the elephant,
Black Maluk, throws him from his back in order to get to Tarzan.
He catches up with Tarzan in the elephant paddock. In the fight with
the ape-man, Tarzan snaps his neck.

In the comic Mungo is a leader of the claw yellow men of Tohr.
He speaks English. He brings Tarzan, d’Arnot, Major Barton, and Ruth
Barton to Tohr and Queen Ahtea. He delivers the party to the dungeons
of Tohr. After the death of Ahtea, he is advised by Ukah to put away
the hateful rule of Ahtea and choose another leader. Mungo thinks
this is a good idea. He is to lead Tarzan and his party to the nearest
settlement.
Mungo is a major character in the radio drama with many key scenes
culminating with his fight with Tarzan. In the comic he is claw-footed,
but Jesse Marsh avoids showing the yellow men’s feet except for the initial
panel. His role has been greatly reduced in the comic, but at least
he does not get his neck snapped by Tarzan.

Ahtea - white queen of Tohr. Tohr
has existed for thousands of years and has always been ruled by a person
with white skin. Ahtea is the last of the line. If she does
not produce an heir before she dies, a yellow skinned person will be chosen
as ruler. Beautiful yet cruel, Ahtea rules with an iron fist and
sentences everyone who does not bend to her will to the fires of Tohr.
Tarzan and the remainder of the expedition are presented to her.
She forces them to watch as a convicted spy is placed on the statue of
Pantu and consumed by the fires of Tohr. This was a demonstration
of her power and also of her ruthlessness. She falls in love with
Tarzan and becomes extremely jealous of Jeanette Burton. She tries
repeatedly to seduce Tarzan with her beauty, wealth and power. Tarzan
remains committed to help his friends and insists that he must lead them
to safety. He would then return to Tohr. This infuriates Ahtea,
as she does not trust him to return. In fact, Ahtea does not trust
any man. She pushes Jeanette into the arena with Toldo, her guardian
lion. She is enraged when Tarzan kills Toldo. She makes a connection
with Dr. Wong and seeks his advice and consul. When Tarzan demands
the Tohrian rite of revenge on Mungo, her favorite guard, she agrees and
prepares elaborate games for the Feast of Pantu. She gives Major
Burton-Ashleigh ceremonial burial rites. She delights in verbally
abusing Jeanette. She sentences Tarzan and the male members of the
party to the elephant paddock in the hopes that all but Tarzan will be
accidentally killed. This way Tarzan could not blame her for
his friends’ deaths. She suspects Jeanette of stealing the key to
the treasure cave of Tohr but can not prove it. She has Kai-luk whipped
to discover the instigator of the slave rebellion. When Tarzan and
Kai-luk escape from the public whipping pole, she loses confidence in Mungo
and instructs him to turn the hunting lions loose in the streets.
She blames Jeanette for all her troubles and wants to be rid of her.
She has Jeanette sent to the Chamber of Serpents. Later she finds
Jeanette and Wong in the treasure cave. She plans to throw Jeanette
in the fires of Tohr, but Tarzan kills the priest before the trapdoor can
be opened. She signals another priest to open the trapdoor.
She threatens to kill Jeanette with a sacrificial knife and to throw her
into the fires if the Rhatohrians do not quit the city. Wong knocks
Jeanette from her arms as she drops the knife downwards. With the
sacrificial knife in his back, Wong grabs Ahtea, and they both fall into
the fires of Tohr.

The comic has a similar beautiful but evil white queen of Tohr.
All her subjects are yellow skinned claw people. When Mungo, a leader
of the claw men, brings Tarzan to the Queen, she becomes infatuated with
him and jealous of Ruth Barton. She forces the party to watch as
she has a rebel consumed by the fires of Tohr on the statue of Pantu.
This was a demonstration of her power and also of her ruthlessness.
She commands Tarzan to stay with her as her mate. She physically
throws Ruth into the arena with her guardian lion, Toldo. Tarzan
kills Toldo. When Tarzan refuses to stay in Tohr with her, she has
the entire party thrown into the dungeon. She recaptures the party
after they escape from the dungeons and brings them to the Hall of Pantu.
She attempts to throw Ruth into the fires of Tohr. Ukah saves Ruth
and attempts to throw himself and Ahtea into the fire. Tarzan grabs
Ukah, but Ahtea falls into the fiery pit.

Ahtea is, remarkably, the same character in both stories. She is
an excellent villain for Tarzan -- reminiscent of Nemone in “Tarzan and
the City of Gold” and to some degree like La of Opar. Ahtea does
show a surprising sensitivity in the radio drama (and a bit out of character)
by giving Major Burton-Ashleigh a ceremonial burial.
Tongo - a chief of the claw-footed
yellow men. He comes to Ahtea and demands the Tohrian right of revenge
on Tarzan because he killed some of his men. The Queen grants him
this right. He swings his cudgel at Tarzan. Failing to touch
the ape-man, he tries using a sword on the jungle lord. Tarzan kills
him with his knife.

The comic makes no mention of this character.

Pantu - idol of pure gold. The
‘God of Fire’ is worshipped by the Tohrian people. The statue is
made up of a man’s body with a lion’s head. It has a grill
between its extended arms. The statue is kept in the Hall of Pantu
(Chamber of Sacrifice) in the city of Tohr. Human sacrifices are
placed on the grill. A stone block is opened in the floor beneath
the grill, which creates a draft of air so the fires of Tohr will leap
up into the room consuming the victim.

This is exactly the same as the comic.

Toldo - lion guardian of the treasures
of Tohr. Ahtea attempts to frighten Tarzan and Wong with Toldo
in the Caves of Pleasure. Later Ukah is placed in an arena with the
lion. Ahtea pushes Jeanette into the arena. Tarzan jumps in
and kills Toldo with his knife. Tarzan kills a hunting lion with
a knife near the elephant paddock. Mungo announces to Ahtea that
Tarzan has killed Toldo. (This brings up the question: is the name
Toldo a title for the chief lion or did Burroughs or some revisionist forget
that Tarzan had already killed Toldo in the arena?)

In the comic Toldo is the guardian of the treasures of Tohr.
Queen Ahtea calls Toldo her mightiest lion. Ukah, a rebel, is placed
in an arena with the lion. Ahtea throws Ruth Barton into the arena.
Tarzan kills Toldo with his bare hands. There is no second Toldo.

Ukah - son of the Shohn, king of Rhatohr.
He is described as a yellow giant. He is placed unarmed in an arena
to face Toldo, the Queen’s favorite lion. He catches Jeanette when
Ahtea pushes her into the arena. He conspires with Tarzan in a plan
to have himself and d’Arnot escape. The plan is to have his father and
the Rhatohrian warriors attack Tohr. Ukah chooses d’Arnot to accompany
him because of his military skills. He kills a Tohrian elephant patrol
guard trying to help d’Arnot who has fallen from the wall. They are
recaptured and brought to Ahtea. He tells the Queen that it was his
idea for the escape attempt. Tarzan and O’Rourke save him and D’Arnot
from the fires of Tohr. He discovers the secret to open the armory
door. Captured once again, Tarzan uses Black Maluk, the wild elephant,
to get Ukah and d’Arnot over the walls of Tohr. In the jungle he
kills a lion with a spear to protect d’Arnot. He stabs a guard as he and
Paul steal an elephant from the Tohrian jungle patrol. His father
comes to the water hole where he and Paul are hiding. He enlists
his father’s help to mount an attack on Tohr in the hopes of aiding Tarzan
and company. He directs the final placement of the troops around
the city of Tohr.

In the comic he is the son of Attar, the rebel leader.
Ahtea, Queen of Tohr, accuses him of conspiring against her. He is
placed in an arena with Toldo, the Queen’s lion, which guards the treasure
of Tohr. He catches Ruth Barton as she is thrown into the arena with
him. Tarzan kills the lion with his bare hands thus saving them both.
After their escape from the dungeons, he finds the secret to open the gates,
which bars the way across the fire pit of Tohr. They are recaptured
and taken to the Hall of Pantu. When Ahtea attempts to throw Ruth
into the fires of Tohr, he saves the girl, grabs Ahtea, and tries to dive
into the fire with his Queen. Tarzan grabs onto him, but the Queen
falls into the fire. At the end of the comic he is the peacemaker
with Mungo and the Tohrians. He consuls Mungo to put away the hateful
rule of Ahtea and choose another leader. Mungo thinks this is a good
idea.

Key character in the radio play with many pivotal tasks, which
he does with great skill. He overshadows Paul d’Arnot with whom he
is often teamed. He is also a key character in the comic as he does
many of the same tasks. In the comic he is responsible for the death
of Ahtea but does not have to pay with his life, as did Dr. Wong in the
radio program. In the comic he does call Ahtea, ‘his Queen,’ which
is a major change from the radio play that has him being a part of a city
in opposition to Tohr. His feet are shown in the comic during his
struggle with Ahtea. It appears as if he is also a claw yellow man.

sheeta - a black panther that guards
a passageway in the underground corridors of Tohr. It is chained
to the wall. As Tarzan approaches, the leopard leaps. Tarzan
dodges and lands on its back. The ape-man holds the panther at bay
so the other members of his party can slip into the tunnel. He squeezes
sheeta almost to the point of unconsciousness and drops it on the ground
so that the Tohrians will not discover which way they went.

This is exactly the same in the comic.

Kai-luk - part of Ukah’s hunting
party, which was captured by the Tohrians. He is a slave in the jewel
pits of Tohr when Tarzan and O’Rourke are brought to the pits. Tarzan
convinces him to talk to the other slaves about a slave rebellion.
He does, and they will join the revolt. He tells Tarzan about the
Feast of Pantu and his fears that there will not be enough slaves to produce
a successful revolt. Ahtea has him whipped when she discovers the
rebellion plan. He won’t talk. Tarzan, Terry, and Kai-luk make
their escape from the public whipping pole on elephants. He tells
Tarzan that the gong they hear signals the release of hunting lions onto
the streets. Tarzan saves him from Toldo. And he helps the
ape-man hold off the guards as Terry releases the jewel pit slaves.

The comic makes no mention of this character.

Rutan - master of the elephant slaves
of Tohr. He assigns Tarzan to train Black Maluk, an uncontrollable
elephant. After Black Maluk’s apparent escape from the paddock he
commands Tarzan and Terry to find and bring him back. Queen Ahtea
commands him to search all of Tohr and the surrounding area for d’Arnot
and Ukah. His failure results in him being sentenced to the jewel
pits and to fight lions during the Feast of Pantu. He attacks O’Rourke
in the jewel pits of Tohr. Tarzan chokes him to unconsciousness.

The comic makes no mention of this character.

Black Maluk - uncontrollable
elephant that is a part of Ahtea’s riding beasts. Rutan, master of
the elephant slaves, commands Tarzan to train him. Tarzan calms him
with ape language. He carries d’Arnot and Ukah to the wall so they
can escape. He rescues Tarzan and Kai-luk from the whipping pole
by throwing Mungo off his back and charging forward. He seals off
the paddock thus preventing the yellow men from helping Mungo fight Tarzan.
And he carries Tarzan and O’Rourke to the main gate where he pushes open
the gate so the Rhatohrians can enter the city.

The comic makes no mention of this character.

Vandor - son of Rutan. He
is in charge of the jungle elephant patrol unit from which d’Arnot and
Ukah steal the lead elephant. He is condemned to jewel pits and is
scheduled to fight lions during the Feast of Pantu.

The comic makes no mention of this character.

Tanya - slave of Queen Ahtea.
Like all of Ahtea’s slaves, she has had her tongue cut out. She has
the job of preparing Jeanette to be the Queen’s personal servant.
When the treasure cave key is discovered missing, Ahtea commands her to
search Jeanette, the other slaves, and their quarters.

The comic makes no mention of this character.

Shohn Rhatohr - from the city of
Rhatohr, the leader of the Rhatohrians and father to Ukah. It is
unclear if ‘Shohn’ is a title or a first name. He and some of his
warriors are hunting elephants when they find Ukah and d’Arnot at a water
hole. He musters his warriors to march on Tohr even though their
last three attempts were very unsuccessful. He believes d’Arnot when
he tells him that Tamor and Poltar are traitors to Rhatohr. He and
his troops march on Tohr. He asks d’Arnot for battle advice.\

In the comic he is known as Attar, the rebel leader, and father
to Ukah. He is mentioned but never seen.

Tamor - Rhatohrian chief.
His mother was a Tohrian captive who married a Rhatohrian. This is
probably why he seeks revenge against the Rhatohrian people. He is
blackmailing Poltar to help him plot against the Rhatohrians. He
captures d’Arnot and uses his blood soaked shirt as evidence of the Frenchman’s
death in the lion pits. The Shohn believes him and grants him the
honor of leading an advanced guard on the attack on Tohr. When he
returns to his quarters, d’Arnot has managed to free himself. During the
ensuing sword fight, d’Arnot seriously wounds him and leaves. He
and Poltar escape on an elephant. He is killed before reaching Tohr.

The comic makes no mention of this character.

Poltar - Rhatohrian warrior who
is in league with Tamor, a chief. Tamor tricked him into giving a
signal, which he thought was to friendly troops. Tohrians who capture
Ukah, the chief’s son, intercepted the signal. Tamor instructs him
to go to Tohr and tell Queen Ahtea about the pending attack. He and
Tamor capture d’Arnot who has overheard their traitorous plot. He
is killed before reaching Tohr.

The comic makes no mention of this character.

Kalu - Black Maluk’s
mate. Terry and Kai-luk mount the elephant and follow Tarzan on Black
Maluk towards the elephant paddock. The riders dismount before reaching
the paddock. The elephants continue on their way.

The comic makes no mention of this creature.

Mantar - high priest
of Tohr. As he reaches for the lever to open the fires of Tohr, which
Ahtea plans to throw Jeanette into, Tarzan throws his sword through the
chest of the priest, killing him.

The comic makes no mention of this character. In the Dell
story, Mungo is given the job to open the fires of Tohr, which Ruth is
to be cast into. Tarzan does not kill him.